THE <© LITTLE
GREEN BOOK
THE LITTLE
GREEN BOOK
Selected Fatawah
And Sayings of The
Ayatollah Mosavi Khomeini
— translated into English by Harold Salemson —
with a special introduction by Clive Irving
Bantam Books, 1985 / ISBN: 0553140329
PDF Edition by
KULTURAL FREEDOM
Table of Contents
Introduction iii
I. 1 Islam as a Revolutionary Religion 1
I. 2 Islam and Colonialism 3
I. 3 The Islamic Republic 7
I. 4 The Rule of the Clergy 11
I. 5 The Imam 13
1 . 6 Islamic J ustice 15
I. 7 Youth 18
I. 8 Media and Propaganda 20
II . 9 On Urinating and Defecating 2 1
II. 10 On Eating and Drinking 24
II. 11 On Pure and Impure Things 27
II. 12 Purification 31
II . 13 On the Nature of Water 37
II. 14 On Ablution 39
II . 15 On the Five Namaz 43
II. 16 On Prayers in Case of Natural Phenomenon 46
II. 17 On Fasting 47
II. 18 On Woman and Her Periods 50
II. 19 On Marriage, Adultery, and Conjugal Relations 53
II. 20 On Divorce 62
II . 2 1 On the Mortuary Ritual 64
II. 22 On Finance and Taxes 66
II. 23 Addendum 69
ii
Introduction
The Little Green Book is a collection of fatawah handed down by the
most prominent and arguably one of the most influential Muslim
clerics in modern history; the Grand Ayatollah Seyyed Ruhollah
Mosavi Khomeini, commonly known as the Ayatollah Khomeini.
Fatawah (the plural of fatwah) are Islamic religious decrees sent
down by Muslim religious leaders. Since Islam demands that
Muslims abide by Sharia - Islamic law as individuals and as a
society, these fatawah are not simply religious insights or advice.
They are legal pronouncements, and define the law of the land in an
Islamic country. In his unrivaled role as Iran's Supreme Leader and
the highest- ranking cleric for Shi'a Muslims, the Ayatollah
Khomeini's fatawah guided the lives of more Shi'a Muslims than did
any other Islamic leader throughout history.
It would have been damning to Islam if these inane, absurd, and
depraved rantings had come from any Muslim, since they would
serve as an example of how Islam corrupts a person's mind. Beyond
that however, anyone who takes the time to analyze Islam's
scriptures and what is recorded in Islam about Muhammad, the man
whose life sets the standard to which Muslims are to strive, will see
that the Ayatollah Khomeini was not off- base in his Islamic
jurisprudence.
This version of The Little Green Book, is a translation done by
Harold Salemson, whose source was a French translation of the
Ayatollah's fatawah compiled by a Persian named Jean- Marie
Xaviere. The book is broken up into two volumes. The first volume
deals with governing issues, and is so chock full of amazing quotes,
we had to give up on trying to highlight the best ones. The second
volume focuses on lifestyle guidelines, and tends to be a bit
mundane. However, some of the more astoundingly reprehensible
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The Little Green Book — Ayatollah Khomeini
whoppers are in this section. Additionally, the emphasis placed on
defining even the most miniscule details for a Muslim to follow serve
as a tremendous example of how Islam thrives on replacing every
last iota of independent thought with mindless servitude. Of course,
this should not come as a surprise to anyone, since the religion's
name literally means "Submission" (Islam), and its followers refer to
themselves as "those who submit" (Muslims).
The Little Green Book is a quick read. In fact, it's probably shorter
than some of Craig Winn's email responses. Additionally, much of it
is so absurd, it's quite entertaining. That is, until you realize that this
isn't a joke and you remember that billions of people are affected by
these fatawah and thousands more like them from multitudes of
other Islamic leaders.
Clive Irving
iv
Li
Islam as a
revolutionary rpliqon
Islam is a religion of those who struggle for truth and justice, of
those who clamor for liberty and independence. It is the school of
those who fight against colonialism.
Our one and only remedy is to bring down these corrupt and
corrupting systems of government, and to overthrow the traitorous,
repressive, and despotic gangs in charge. This is the duty of Muslims
in all Islamic countries; this is the way to victory for all Islamic
revolutions.
Muslims have no alternative, if they wish to correct the political
balance of society, and force those in power to conform to the laws
and principles of Islam, to an armed Jihad against profane
governments.
Though you may not have the means to prevent heresy or fight
corruption, nevertheless, you must not remain silent. If they hit you
in the head, protest! Resigning yourself to oppression is more
immoral than oppression itself. Argue, denounce, oppose, shout.
Spread the truth - that Islamic justice is not what they say it is.
Jihad means the conquest of all non- Muslim territories. Such a war
may well be declared after the formation of an Islamic government
worthy of that name, at the direction of the Imam or under his
orders. It will then be the duty of every able-bodied adult male to
volunteer for this war of conquest, the final aim of which is to put
Qur'anic law in power from one end of the earth to the other. But the
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whole world should understand that the universal supremacy of
Islam is considerably different from the hegemony of other
conquerors. It is therefore necessary for the Islamic government first
to be created under the authority of the Imam in order that he may
undertake this conquest, which will be distinguishable from all other
wars of conquest, which are unjust and tyrannical and disregard the
moral and civilizing principles of Islam.
Who liberated our country and our people from the shame of
Zoroastrianism, if not the victorious army of Islam?
There are some of us who aren't concerned with developing an
Islamic movement, but, instead, of making the pilgrimage to Mecca
with the Muslim brothers, in peace and understanding. It certainly
wasn't that way in the time of the Prophet. The Friday prayers were
the means of mobilizing the people, of inspiring them to battle. The
man who goes to war straight from the mosque is afraid of only one
thing - Allah. Dying, poverty, and homelessness mean nothing to
him; an army of men like that is a victorious army.
Islamic faith and justice demand that within the Muslim world, anti-
Islamic governments not be allowed to survive. The installation of a
lay public power is equivalent to actively opposing the progress of
Islamic order. Any nonreligious power, whatever form or shape it
may take, is necessarily an atheistic power, the tool of Satan; it is
part of our duty to stand in its path and to struggle against its effects.
Such Satanic power can engender nothing but corruption on earth,
the supreme evil which must be pitilessly fought and rooted out. To
achieve that end, we have no recourse other than to overthrow all
governments that do not rest on pure Islamic principles, and are
thus traitorous, rotten, unjust, and tyrannical administrative
systems that server them. That is not only our duty in Iran, but it is
also the duty of all Muslims in the world, in all Muslim countries, to
carry the Islamic political revolution to its final victory.
2
1.2
Islam and Colonialism
Europe [the West] is nothing but a collection of unjust dictatorships;
all of humanity must strike these troublemakers with an iron hand if
it wishes to regain its tranquility. If Islamic civilization had governed
the West, we would no longer have to put up with these barbaric
goings-on unworthy even of wild animals.
At a time in the West so primitive that there is no recorded history of
it, when its inhabitants were still wild, and when America was still a
land of half- wild redskins, the peoples of the Persian and Roman
empires were forced to live under despotism, oligarchy, favoritism,
and absolute rule, without the slightest participation or right to
participate in their own government. It was then that Allah, through
his prophet, sent us the laws whose scope has amazed mankind.
The homeland of Islam, one and indivisible, was broken up by the
doings of the Imperialists and despotic and ambitious leaders. The
Muslim people, one and indivisible, was broken up into several
peoples. And when the Ottoman Empire struggled to achieve Islamic
unity, it as opposed by a united front of Russian, English, Austrian,
and other imperialist powers, which split it up among themselves.
Western missionaries, carrying out secret plans drawn up centuries
ago, have created religious schools of their own within Muslim
countries. We did not react against that, and this is what it led to:
These missionaries infiltrated our villages and our countrysides, to
turn our children into Christians or atheists!
The Islamic movement met its first saboteur in the Jewish people,
who are at the source of all the anti-Islamic libels and intrigues
current today. Then came the turn of those even more damnable
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representatives of Satan, the imperialists. Within the last three
centuries or more, they have invaded every Muslim country, with the
intention of destroying Islam. They have been aware ever since the
Crusades that only Islam, with its laws and its faith, can bar the way
to their material interests and political power. They sent
missionaries into Muslim cities, and there found accomplices within
the universities and various information or publication centers,
mobilized their Orientalist scholars in the service of imperialism -
all of that only so as to distort Islamic truths.
Their plan is to keep us in our backward state, to preserve our
backward state, to preserve our pathetic way of life, so they can
exploit the tremendous wealth of our underground resources, of our
land, and our manpower. They want us to stay destitute, distracted
by niggling day-to-day problems of survival, our poor living in
misery, so that we will never become aware of the laws of Islam -
which contain the solution to misery and poverty! All of this they
have done so they can sit in their big palaces, living their stupid
shallow lives!
Many of these corruptions have their origin in the gang that is in
power, and in the family of a despotic and capricious ruler. These are
the rulers who create hotbeds of lust, prostitution, and drugs, who
devote the revenues of the mosque to building cinemas!
Islam does not have kings or crown princes. If that's a fault, well
then, Islam is a faulty religion!
What do you understand of the harmony between social life and
religious principles? And more important, just what is the social life
we are talking about? Is it those hotbeds of immorality called
theaters, cinemas, dancing, and music? Is it the promiscuous
presence in the streets of lusting young men and women with arms,
chests, and thighs bared? Is it the ludicrous wearing of a hat like the
Europeans or the imitation of their habit of wine drinking? We are
convinced that you have been made to lose your ability to distinguish
between good and evil, in exchange for a few radio sets and ludicrous
Western hats. Your attention has been attracted to the disrobed
women to be seen on thoroughfares ad in swimming pools. Let these
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The Little Green Book — Ayatollah Khomeini
shameful practices come to an end, so that the dawn of a new life
may break!
All governments of the world rely upon the power of their bayonets.
We know of no monarchy or republic in the world today which is
based upon equity and reason; and all maintain themselves in power
only through oppression.
The leaders of our country have been so deeply influenced by the
West that they have regulated the standard time of their country
upon that of Europe (Greenwich Mean Time) . What a nightmare!
In the past century, during which European medicine and surgery
have been introduced into Iran, our leaders have forgotten our
traditional medicine and encouraged a handful of inexperienced
young men to study this cursed European medicine. Today we
realize that illnesses such as typhus, typhoid fever, and the like are
curable only by traditional remedies.
The clergy must undertake no functions other than religious ones
which serve monotheism, virtue, the teaching of divine laws, and the
uplifting of public morals. The army must also be under the control
of the clergy in order to be efficacious and useful.
We [clergy] forcefully affirm that refusal to wear the veil is against
the law of Allah and the Prophet, and a material and moral affront to
the entire country. We affirm that the ludicrous use of the Western
hat stands in the way of our independence and is contrary to the will
of Allah. We affirm that coeducational schools are an obstacle to a
wholesome life; they are a material and moral affront to the country
and contrary to the divine will. We affirm that music engenders
immorality, lust, and licentiousness, and stifles courage, valor, and
the chivalrous spirit; it is forbidden by Qur'anic law and must not be
taught in the schools. Radio Tehran, by broadcasting Western,
Oriental, and Iranian music, plays a nefarious role by introducing
immorality and licentiousness into respectable families.
Ulamas [scholars] and other ecclesiastics are not permitted to run
the theology schools set up by the state. State intervention in this
domain is always a pretext for the destruction of the foundations of
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Islam on orders of the imperialists. This happens in all Muslim
countries without exception.
Members of the clergy who, wearing clerical garb, cooperate in one
way or another with such schools of theology must be shinned by all
true Muslims. It is forbidden to associate with them, to indulge in
collective prayer in their presence, to make use of their services for
the repudiation of one's wife, to pay legal alms to them, to invite
them to officiate at funeral ceremonies, or to listen to their sermons
at meetings organized by the state with the sole intent of having
them preach lies and diabolical anti- Islamic thoughts.
We see today that Jews - may Allah bring them down! - have
manipulated the editions of the Qur'an published in their occupied
zones. We have to protest, to make everyone understand that these
Jews are bent upon the destruction of Islam and the establishment
of a universal J ewish government. And since they are a cunning and
active people, I fear - may Allah protect us from it! - that sooner or
later they may succeed in attaining this goal, that through the
weakness of some among us we may one day find ourselves under
J ewish rule - Allah preserve us from it!
Some scholarly Orientalists, agents in the pay of the imperialists, are
working to transform the Islamic truths. The missionaries, those
other agents of imperialism, are also busy throughout the Muslim
world in perverting our youth, not by converting them to their own
religion, but by corrupting them. And that is the very thing
imperialists are after. In Teheran itself, propaganda centers for
Christianity, Zionism, and Bahaism, have been set up for the sole
purpose of luring the faithful away from the commandments of
Islam. Is it not our duty to destroy all these hotbeds of danger to
Islam?
6
1-3
The Islamic republic
An Islamic government cannot be totalitarian or despotic, but is
constitutional and democratic. In this democracy, however, the laws
are not made by the will of the people, but only by the Qur'an and
the Sunnah [Traditions] of the Prophet. The constitution, the civil
code, and the criminal code should be inspired only by Islamic laws
contained in the Qur'an and transcribed by the Prophet. Islamic
government is the government of divine right, and its laws cannot be
changed, modified, or contested.
In any self-respecting Islamic government, the legislative, executive,
and judicial branches are replaced by a Religious Planning Council.
The council keeps each cabinet department informed of the Islamic
laws affecting it, indicates what its program must be in conformity
with religious law, and on the basis of the totality of these programs
establishes general policy for the whole country.
The Islamic government is subject to the law of Islam, which comes
neither from the people nor from its representatives, but directly
from Allah and His divine will. Qur'anic law, which is nothing other
than divine law, constitutes the essence of any Islamic government
and unfailingly governs all individuals who are a part of it. The
Prophet, the Caliphs [spiritual heads of Islam], and the people all
owe absolute obedience to these eternal laws of the Almighty,
transmitted to mortals through the Qur'an and the Prophet, which
remain immutable until the end of time.
It is often proclaimed that religion must be separated from politics,
and that the ecclesiastical world should keep out of affairs of state. It
is proclaimed that high Muslim clerical authorities have no business
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mixing into the social and political decisions of the government.
Such proclamations can come only from atheists; they are dictated
and spread by imperialists. Was politics separate from religion in the
time of the Prophet (God salute him, him and his faithful)? Was
there a distinction at that time between the religious and the high
functionaries of the state? Were religious and temporal powers
separate in the times of the Caliphs? Those are aberrations invented
by the imperialists with a view to turning the clergy away from the
material and social life of Muslim peoples, and thus to getting a free
hand to pillage their wealth.
Think of it - a political clergy! Well, why not? The Prophet was a
politician!
He (The Prophet) appointed governors to provinces, formed
tribunals and named judges, set up embassies in other countries,
and sent ambassadors to other tribes and kings. . . In short, all the
normal functions of government.
In order to ensure the unity of the Muslim people, to liberate the
Islamic homeland from the domination of the influence of
imperialists, we have no other way out than to form a true Islamic
government, do whatever is necessary to overthrow the other
tyrannical pseudo- Muslim governments put in place by foreigners,
and once this goal is attained to install the universal Islamic
government.
We have nothing against going to the moon, or setting up atomic
installations. But we too have a mission to accomplish: the mission
of serving Islam and making its sacred principles known to the
entire world, in the hope that all the monarchs and presidents of
republics throughout the Muslim world will finally recognize that
our cause is just, and by that very fact become submissive to us.
Naturally, we have no desire to strip them of their functions; we will
allow them to retain power, provided they show themselves to be
obedient and worthy of our confidence.
It the enemy attacks the borders of an Islamic country, it is the
sacred duty of all Muslims in the world to defend it by every means
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The Little Green Book — Ayatollah Khomeini
in their power, by giving of their wealth or of their persons. They
need await no permission to fulfill this duty.
If within a Muslim country, diabolical foreign plans are fomented,
and if there is any fear that these may lead to foreign domination, it
is the duty of every Muslim to work against such plans.
If as a result of the political, economic, or commercial influence of
foreigners, there is the risk of seeing the latter gain control over the
destinies of Islamic countries, it is the duty of every Muslim to
defend the interests at stake and bar the path to any foreign
intrusion.
If there is a justified fear that the diplomatic relations of Muslim
states with foreign states might lead to the predominance of the
latter within Muslim countries, even if such predominance be only
political or economic, all Muslims must oppose such a situation with
force, and compel the Islamic governments to sever such diplomatic
relations.
If there comes to be a justified concern that commercial relations
with foreigners might be harmful to Islamic markets and lead to
commercial or economic dependence, such relations must be broken
off and such commerce proclaimed to be religiously illicit.
If establishing political or commercial relations between a Muslim
and a non- Muslim country is not in the interests of Islam and
Muslims, such relations are forbidden; if a country allows them, it is
the duty of all other Muslim countries to force it by ever means
within their power to sever such relations.
If certain chiefs of state of Muslim countries or certain members of
parliament favor a foreign political, economic, or military influence,
which is inevitably against the interests of Islam and of all Muslims,
they must for such treason be removed from their functions,
whatever these may be, even though they may have acceded to them
through entirely legal means. It is the duty of all Muslims to punish
such individuals by ever possible means.
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It is forbidden for any Muslim state to have commercial and
diplomatic relations with countries which play the role of puppets
for the great powers - as is the case with Israel - and it is the duty of
all Muslims to oppose such relations by every means available; any
businessman having commercial dealing with Israel, its
representatives, or its agents is a traitor to Islam and to all other
Muslims, because he is contributing to the destruction of Islam. It is
the duty of all Muslims to sever their relations with such traitors,
whether they be states or businessmen, with a view to forcing them
to repent.
All the laws approved and passed until now by the two chambers of
the Iranian Parliament, on the orders of foreign agents - Allah
punish them! - contrary to the texts of the Qur'an and the law of the
Holy Prophet of Islam are hereby proclaimed null and void from the
Islamic viewpoint. It is the duty of all the faithful to turn against all
those who supported them, to isolate such people, not to rub elbows
with them or have any business dealings with them, and to consider
them as malefactors. Even going near them is in itself a cardinal sin.
10
1.4
The Rjjle of the Clergy
If religious experts of wisdom and justice devoted themselves to the
Islamic law and to setting up an Islamic law and to setting up an
Islamic state, never again would the people go hungry.
It is written that "the clergy rule the sultans." If the sultans are
obedient to Islam, then they should also be obedient to the clergy;
they should ask the clergy for laws and regulations and advice on
how to apply them. In this way he clergy are the real leaders and
power belong to them, officially.
You (the clergy) have the duty to establish an Islamic state. Have
confidence in yourselves: you are perfectly capable of assuming that
burden. We will do as the colonialists did three or four hundred
years ago - they started from nothing and got to this point. We too
will start from nothing. Don't let yourselves be intimidated by a
handful of your fellow countrymen who have sold out to the West,
who are the valets of imperialism. Explain to the people that the
clergy are not going to sit in a corner at Qom or An Najaf studying
unimportant matters like the rules governing the menstruation of
omen, and cutting themselves off from politics because "religion and
politics should be separate."
Are those who govern in Muslim countries these days any more
capable than we are? Who among them has more aptitude than the
average man? Many of them never even went to school... Mr. Reza
[Rezah Shah - the Shah's father] was nothing but an uneducated
buck private. Historically this has often been the case. Many despots
and absolute rulers had neither the aptitude to run a country, nor
common sense, nor knowledge nor wisdom. Harun al-Rashid [A
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renowned 19th century Caliph in Baghdad] or others like him, what
did they go through in the way of an education? TO administer laws
and govern a country, you need a solid educational grounding.
In certain cases deception is necessary for the maintenance of Islam
and of religion in general; without it faith could not survive.
If anyone, in the guise of pursuing Islamic justice, interprets the Law
in a manner contrary to the divine will, he has committed the sin of
innovation. Learned men are bound to condemn him or they will
themselves be condemned.
Given that the clergy occupy a lower position (than the Prophet of
the Imam), should they therefore punish an offense less severely?
Can we say that the Prophet ought to order a hundred and fifty
lashes, Ali a hundred lashes, and the clergy only fifty, in a case when
the penalty should be one hundred lashes? No. The chief magistrate
possesses executive power that is always in accordance with divine
standards, whether he be the Prophet, Ali, or the duly constituted
representative.
12
1-5
ThE]MAM
We need a head of government who is not at the mercy of his lust
and other temptations. We need someone to govern us for whom all
are equal, for whom all enjoy the same rights and obligations;
someone who doesn't indulge in favoritism, who regards his family
in the same light as others, who will cut off his son's hands if he
steals, and execute his brothers and sisters if they sell heroin.
As far as function and rank are concerned, there is no difference
between the guardian of a minor and the guardian of an entire
people. Leading the government or indeed occupying any official
position is like the Imam and his appointees taking care of children.
The great scholars, those "fortresses of Islam," are the embodiment
of Islamic faith as well as its guardians They affirm Islamic
principles in their emotional and moving sermons and through the
special nature of their leadership. That's why, when after a long life,
perhaps even more than a hundred years, they die, that death is a
great blow to Islam, and why the faithful experience an immense
lack in their absence. But if it's a question of my death, I who do
nothing but sit in a corner of my house studying; what lack will the
faithful fell in my absence?
The Imams were shining lights in the darkness of the heavens,
infinitely gifted and by birth and nature superior to other men -
much so that even the angel Gabriel declared "If I came too close to
them, I would be burned. "
The leaders of the USSR and of England and the president of the
United States are invested with power (like the Imam), but they are
infidels. They wield their political power and influence in order to
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fulfill sordid personal ambitions, which they accomplish by
administering inhuman laws and using inhuman political methods.
But the Imam and the clergy have the duty to use the political
apparatus to apply the laws of Allah and to bring about a system of
equality for the benefit of the people. Governing means nothing for
them except pain and difficulty, but what can they do? The rule of
the clergy is an obligation they must fulfill.
Since the Almighty did not designate anyone by name to form the
Islamic government in the absence of the hidden Imam [the Twelfth
Imam], what are we to do? But while Allah did not name anyone, He
intended that the virtues characteristic of Islamic governments from
the dawn of Islam to the reign of the Twelfth Imam be perpetrated.
These virutes, these qualities, represented by perfect knowledge of
law and justice, are to be found in many of the religious learned of
our time. If those learned come together, they will be able to
establish the authority that will bring about universal justice. If a
competent man, combining in himself these supreme virtues,
appears and founds a true Islamic government, it means that he has
been invested as the Holy Prophet to lead the people; therefore, it is
the people's absolute duty to follow him.
14
1.6
Islamic Justice
In an Islamic government, all people are under the protection of the
law. No one may endanger their safety, break into their houses,
arrest them, imprison or exile them, or summarily execute them on
the basis of a simple accusation or suspicion. Under such a
government, everyone can have full confidence in the law of the
Prophet, and no judge or dignitary dare act contrary to it.
The person who governs the Muslim community must always have
its interests at heart and not his own. This is why Islam has put so
many people to death: to safeguard the interests of the Muslim
community. Islam has obliterated many tribes because they were
sources of corruption and harmful to the welfare of Muslims.
Muslims are forbidden to seek redress of their grievances from the
executive or judiciary of improperly constituted governments. They
are forbidden to have legal recourse to kings or other despotic
administrations, or to the judges that are appointed by them, even if
they have legal rights to defend. A person whose son has been killed
or whose house has been burgled may not seek justice from such
courts, even if he is in the right and has conclusive evidence.
Islam has precepts for everything that concerns man and society.
These come from the Almighty and are transmitted to men by His
Prophet and Messenger. One may well be surprised by the majesty of
these commandments, which cover every aspect of life, from
conception to internment! There is no subject upon which Islam has
not expressed judgment.
The Islamic republic is a government according to the Law and the
wise men and theological experts of the clergy are therefore
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responsible for it. It is they who must watch over all aspects of
administration and planning. In administering the laws of God in
such matters as taxes and property for example, they must be
trusted. Accordingly they must not allow delay in the execution of
the Islamic laws, nor must thy be over lenient or over severe. If a
member of the clergy wishes to inflict a penalty on someone, he must
do so publicly, according to established practice, and lash him the
specific number of times, without insulting him or slapping him or
imprisoning him even for a single day.
Islamic justice is based on simplicity and ease. It settles all criminal
or civil complaints in the most convenient, elementary, and
expeditious way possible. All that is required is for an Islamic judge,
with a pen and inkwell and two or three enforcers, to go into a town,
come to his verdict on any kind of case, and have it immediately
carried out. Look at the present cost in time and money in Western
society with all its judicial procedures surrounding any judgment, in
the name of principles alien to Islam!
If the punitive laws of Islam were applied for only one year, all the
devastating injustices and immoralities would be uprooted.
Misdeeds must be punished by the law of retaliation: cut off the
hands of the thief; kill the murderer instead of putting him in prison-
flog the adulterous woman or man. Your concerns, your
"humanitarian" scruples are more childish than reasonable. Under
the terms of Qur'anic law, any judge fulfilling the seven
requirements (that he have reached puberty, be a believer, know the
Qur'anic laws perfectly, be just, and not be affected by amnesia, or be
a bastard, or be of the female sex) is qualified to dispense justice in
any type of case. He can thus judge and dispose of twenty trials in a
single day, whereas Occidental justice might take years to argue
them out.
Ali [son-in-law of Muhammad], having cut off the hands of two
thieves, treated their wounds and offered them his hospitality, and
this affected them so much that they became utterly devoted to him;
or again when he heard the marauding army of Muawiyah had
abused a woman of one of the tribes, he was so upset and moved to
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pity that he declared: "If a man died after such an occurrence, no one
cold blame him." And yet, despite a nature as sensitive as that, Ali
bared his sword and hacked the perpetrators to pieces. This is the
meaning of justice.
17
17
Youth
Students have got their eyes open. If you present them with [the case
for an Islamic republic], they will embrace it eagerly. Our students
are against despotism, against repressive and colonialist authorities,
against the ruffians who pillage the property of the people, against
the Hars who consume impurities. There is no student or university
that opposes an Islam founded on teachings such as ours and run
according to social principles such as ours.
Our young people have the duty to rip the turban from the heads of
those who, by pretending to be holy men and religious experts of
Islam, are causing so much corruption among Muslims. I don't know
if our youth is still alive! In my day it was never thus. Why don't they
rip off those turbans? I don't say we should kill them, they are not
worth killing. But our brave youth must see to it that such mullahs
do not appear in public wearing the turban. It's not necessary to hit
them too much, but those turbans must come off!
Put aside your sadness and resignation! Improve your programs and
methods of spreading Islam! Make greater efforts to give it a fair
presentation! Do your part: be the front-runners in setting up an
Islamic republic. Put your hands in the hands of fighting and
independent peoples!
Young boys or girls in full sexual effervescence are kept from getting
married before they reach legal age of majority. This is against the
intention of divine laws. Why should the marriage of pubescent girls
and boys forbidden because they are still minors, when they are
allowed to listen to the radio and to sexually arousing music?
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You, young people of the new generation, try to think more clearly.
Stop turning toward science and its laws which have led so many
among you to neglect your major responsibilities! Come to the help
of Islam! Save the Muslims! The missionaries of different
denominations, who are in service of the imperialists just as their
local agents are, have spread to the four corners of the country.to
turn our youth away from the path of righteousness and keep them
from the service of Islam. Save that youth!
19
1.8
Media and Propaganda
We have a duty to create an Islamic republic and to that end our first
obligation is the creation of a system of propaganda. This has always
been the way things work. Once a few people sit down together,
think matters out together, make decisions, it follows that
propaganda will emerge. Then little by little others who think the
same way are attracted to the group and it increases in size.
Ultimately the group and its propaganda becomes a force that can
infiltrate a huge system of government or even bring about its
downfall.
Radio and television are allowed if they are used for the broadcasting
of news or sermons, for the spreading of good educational material
for publicizing the products and curiosities of the planet; but they
must prohibit singing, music, anti- Islamic laws, the lauding of
tyrants, mendacious words, and broadcasts which spread doubt and
undermine virtue.
Since the use of radio and television sets is not carried out in
conformity with the above-mentioned principles, the trade in them
is limited to those who will put them to good use and who will see to
it that others follow in the same path.
20
H9
On Urinating and Defecating
It is required that everyone, when urinating or defecating, hide his
sexual parts from all pubescent persons, even his sister or his
mother, as well as from any feebleminded person or children too
young to understand. But husband and wife are not required to hide
from each other.
It is not indispensable to hide one's genitals with anything in
particular; one's hand is enough.
When defecating or urinating, one must squat in such a way as
neither to face Mecca nor turn one's back upon it.
It is not sufficient to turn one's sex organ away, while oneself facing
or turning one's back on Mecca; and one's privates must never be
exposed either facing Mecca or facing directly away from Mecca.
Urinating and defecating are forbidden in four places: blind alleys,
except with the permission of those living along them; the property
of a person who has not given permission to do so; places of worship,
such as a certain medersas [Arabic schools]; graves of believers,
unless one does so as an insult to them.
In three cases, it is absolutely necessary to purify one's anus with
water: when the excrement has been expelled with other impurities,
such as blood, for example; when some impure thing has grazed the
anus; when the anal opening has been soiled more than usual.
Apart from these three cases, one may either was one's anus with
water or wipe it with some fabric or a stone.
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The Little Green Book — Ayatollah Khomeini
The urinary orifice can be cleaned off only with water, and it is
enough to wash it just one time after urinating. But those in whom
the urine comes out through some other orifice would do better to
wash that orifice at least twice. This must be observed by women as
well.
It is not necessary to wipe one's anus with three stones or with three
pieces of fabric: a single stone or single piece of fabric is enough. But
if one wipes with a bone, or any sacred object, such as, for example, a
paper having the name of Allah on it, one may not say his prayers
while in this state.
It is preferable, for urinating or defecating, to squat down in an
isolated place; it is also preferable to go into this place with the left
foot first, and come out of it with the right foot first; it is
recommended that one keep his head covered while evacuating, and
have the weight of his body carried by the left foot.
During evacuation, one must not squat facing the sun or the moon,
unless one's genitals are covered. While defecating, one must also
avoid squatting exposed to the wind, or in public places, or at the
door one's house, or under a fruit tree. At the time of the evacuation,
one must also avoid eating, dallying, or washing one's anus with the
right hand. Finally, one must avoid talking, unless one is absolutely
forced to or is addressing a prayer to Allah.
It is better to avoid urinating standing up or urinating into hard
ground, or into an animal hole, or into ware, especially stagnant
water.
It is recommended not to hold back the need to urinate or defecate,
especially if it hurts.
It is recommended to urinate before prayers, before going to bed,
before having sexual intercourse, and after ejaculating.
After urination, one must first wash the anus if it has been soiled by
urine; then one must press three times with the middle finger of his
left hand on the part between the anus and the base of the penis;
then one must put his thumb on top of the penis and his index finger
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The Little Green Book — Ayatollah Khomeini
on the bottom and pull the skin forward three times as far as the
circumcision ring; and after that three times squeeze the tip of the
penis.
A woman has no special instructions to follow after urinating; if she
afterward notes some moisture at the vaginal orifice which she
cannot judge as pure or impure, the said moisture remains pure and
in no way stands in the way of her performing ablutions or praying.
23
n .10
On eating and Drinking
There are eighteen principles to be observed at mealtime; washing
one's hands before the meal; washing and drying one's hands after
the meal; the head of the house beginning eating before any of his
guests and finishing after them; he must wash his hands before the
meal ahead of the others, and be followed by the person who sits at
his right, and then the next, and so on, until reaching the one seated
at his left; beginning the meal by invoking the name of Allah; but if
several courses are served, it is recommended that this be repeated
before each course; taking with one's right hand; eating with three
fingers, leaving the other two free; taking small guantities of food in
each mouthful; stretching the meal out as long as possible; chewing
one's food at length; praising Allah at the end of the meal; licking
one's fingers; cleaning one's teeth after the meal with a toothpick,
which must not be made of pomegranate wood, basil wood, reed, or
palm leaves; gathering up the remains of the meal in order to eat
them later, but if the meal is eaten in the desert it is better to leave
such remains for the birds and animals; eating at the beginning of
the day and at nightfall, and abstaining therefrom during the day
and during the night; resting on one's back after eating, and putting
the right leg over the left; taking salt at the beginning and the end of
the meal; washing all fruit before it.
There are eleven things to be avoided during meals; eating when one
is not hungry; eating too much, which is frowned upon by the
Almighty; watching others while eating; eating things that are too
hot; blowing on a dish or into a glass to cool the food or drink;
starting to eat as soon as the the bread has been put on the table;
cutting bread with a knife; putting bread under one's plate; cleaning
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The Little Green Book — Ayatollah Khomeini
a meat bone so there is nothing left on it; peeling fruit; throwing
away half- eaten fruit.
There are six principles to be observed while drinking water: sucking
it up rather than gulping it down; drinking upright invoking the
name of Allah before and after drinking; drinking in three steps;
drinking of one's own free will; recalling the martyrdom of Hazrat
Abu Abdullah and his family, and cursing their murderers, after
drinking.
There are five things to be avoided during the absorption of water:
drinking to excess; drinking after a heavy meal; drinking standing up
during the night; taking the water jug in one's left hand; drinking
from a place where the jug is chipped or broken or at the location of
the handle.
Among the organs of fowl, game, domestic animals, fish, and so on
whose flesh of you are permitted to eat, there are fifteen which are
proscribed: blood; excrement; the penis; the vagina; the uterus; the
glands; the testicles; the central part of the brain; the little chickpea-
shaped ball at the back side of the brain; the nerves located on either
side of the spinal column; the gallbladder; the liver; the bladder; the
eye; matter accumulated under the claws.
It is forbidden to consume the excrement of animals or their nasal
secretions. But if such are mixed in minute proportions into other
foods their consumption is not forbidden.
The meat of horses, mules, or donkeys is not recommended. It is
strictly forbidden if the animal was sodomized while alive by a man.
In that case, the animal must be taken outside the city and sold.
If one commits an act of sodomy with a cow, a ewe, or a camel, their
urine and their excrements become impure, and even their milk may
no longer be consumed. The animal must then be killed as guickly as
possible and burned, and the price of it paid to its owner by him who
sodomized it.
Drinking wine or alcoholic beverages is a mortal sin, and is strictly
forbidden. Whoever consumes an alcoholic beverage retains only a
25
The Little Green Book — Ayatollah Khomeini
part of his soul, that part of it which is deformed and nasty; he is
damned by Allah, His archangels, His prophets, and His believers.
Such a man's daily prayers are rejected by Allah for forty days. On
the day of the resurrection of the dead, his face will turn black, his
tongue will hang out of his mouth, his saliva will run down his chest,
and he will remain forever thirsty.
26
n ii
On Pure and Impure Icings
There are eleven things which are impure: urine, excrement, sperm,
bones, blood, dogs, pigs, non- Muslim men and women, wine, beer,
and the sweat of the excrement- eating camel.
The urine and feces of man and any animal whose blood spurts when
a vein or artery of its body is opened are impure. But flyspecks or the
droppings of mosquitoes or other such small insects whose blood
does not gush are pure.
The urine and feces of any excrement- eating animal are impure. This
is equally true of the urine and feces of any animal which has been
sexually possessed by a human; and of the urine and feces of sheep
which have been fed on sow's milk
The sperm of any animal whose blood spurts when its throat is cut is
impure.
The bones of an animal found dead or an animal slaughtered
otherwise than according to Muslim rites are impure; fish, on the
other hand, is never impure, even if found dead in the water, for its
blood does not spurt.
The hairs, bones, and teeth of dead animals are pure, unless they
come from animals such as the dog which are impure themselves.
The egg taken from the entrails of a chicken is not impure, provided
its shell is sufficiently hard. However, it must be washed before
being eaten.
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The Little Green Book — Ayatollah Khomeini
The meat, fat, and skins on sale in a Muslim bazaar on being handled
by a Muslim are pure, unless such products come from animals
which were not slaughtered according to the Muslim rites.
The blood of man and any animal whose blood spurts when the
throat is cut is impure; on the other hand, the blood of the fish,
mosguito, or any other animal whose blood does not spurt remains
pure.
The blood that may flow out between one's teeth is pure if diluted
with saliva; it is permitted to swallow that saliva.
Blood coagulated and accumulated under the nails or in any other
part of the human body is pure if its appearance has been so
modified that one can no longer call it blood; if that is not the case,
every effort must be made to rid oneself of it before performing one's
ablutions.
The pus of a healing wound is pure, provided one can be sure it is
not mixed with blood.
Dog and pig, unless they live in water, are impure, as are their hairs,
their bones, their claws, and their excrements; on the other hand,
sea dogs and pigs are pure.
Every part of the body of a non- Muslim individual is impure, even
the hair on his hand and his body hair, his nails, and all the
secretions of the body.
Any man or woman who denies the existence of Allah, or believes in
His partners [the Christian Trinity], or else does not believe in His
Prophet Muhammad, is impure (in the same way as are excrement,
urine, dog, and wine). He is so even if he doubts any one of these
principles.
A child who has not reached puberty is impure if his parents and
grandparents are not Muslims, but if he has one Muslim in his
ancestry he is pure.
A Muslim who insults one of the Twelve Imams or declares himself
their enemy is impure.
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Wine and all other intoxicating beverages are impure, but opium and
hashish are not.
Beer is impure, but brewer's yeast is not.
The sweat of an excrement- eating animal is impure; the sweat of
other animals, which do not eat the same detritus, is not.
The sweat of a man who has just ejaculated is not impure; yet it is
preferable for him not to pray so long as his body or his clothing
retain traces of that sweat.
If a man has had sexual relations with his wife during periods of
prescribed abstinence, such as the fast of Ramadan, he must avoid
saying his prayers so long as he still has upon him the traces of post-
coital sweat.
If a part of the body that is sweating comes into contact with
something impure and the sweat runs onto other parts of the body,
all such parts become impure, although the rest of the body remains
pure.
Bloodstained nasal secretions or expectorations are impure, whereas
those which have not been soiled by blood are pure; if the nasal
secretions or the expectoration touch the nose or mouth even lightly
the part of the skin which has been so touch must be purified; but
the untouched part remains pure.
An object which enters a human body and comes into contact with
something impure (stool or blood) remains pure when withdrawn
from that body if it has no traces of the impure matter left upon it;
thus, the instrument introduced into the rectum for an enema or the
surgeon's scalpel are not impure if they bear no trace of these
impurities. The same applies to saliva or nasal secretions which mix
with blood inside the mouth or nose, but show no trace of it when
they are expectorated.
It is forbidden to touch a page of the Qur'an with anything impure; if
such a thing should happen, the page must immediately be washed.
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It is forbidden to place upon the Qur'an such impure matter as blood
or human or animal bones if the matter is dried; should the matter
already have been placed on it, it must absolutely be removed.
It is forbidden to write out verses of the Qur'an with impure ink,
even though one write but one letter thereof. In case it has already
been done, it must be washed away or erased with a knife or some
other sharp instrument.
One must avoid giving the Qur'an to an infidel; it is even
recommended that it be forcibly taken away from him if he already
has it in his hands.
If a page of the Qur'an, or a piece of paper with the name of Allah or
the Prophet or one of the Imams on it should fall into a toilet, it is
absolutely indispensable to withdraw it from there, even if this
should prove costly. In case this is impossible, such a toilet must
never be used until it has been ascertained that the paper has rotted
away.
It is forbidden to eat or drink anything that is impure; it is also
forbidden to give anything impure to children to eat, whether or not
it ay be harmful to them; but it is not forbidden to feed children food
which has been only indirectly touched by something impure.
It is not reguired that one point out to a person that he is eating
impure food or that he is praying while wearing impure clothing.
If the head of a household notices during the course of a meal that
one or more of the dishes being served are impure, he must impart
this information to his guests; but if it is one of the guest who notices
it, he is not obliged to do the same.
30
n .12
Purification
There are eleven elements or procedures which are purifying, that is,
which erase impurities and make bodies and objects pure again:
water; earth; sun; transmutation; reduction of grape juice by two-
thirds' transfer; Islam; dependence; elimination of the impure
object; keeping an animal from doing so for a specific period of time;
absence of the Muslim.
Here are explanations of each element:
Water is purifying if it fulfills the following four conditions; it is pure
(thus are watermelon juice and rose water not purifying); it is clean;
after having been used to wash something impure, it has not been
taken on the odor, color, or taste of that impure thing; after such
washing, the remains of excrement or other detritus have left no
traces in it.
An impure dish or container must be washed three times to regain
its purity; but a container which has been licked by a dog or been
used to give a dog his food or drink in, before being twice washed in
water, must be rubbed first with earth. If a pig has used it, the dish
must be washed seven times in succession but it need not be rubbed
with earth. A container or glass which has held wine, and therefore is
impure, must be washed three times, but it is better to wash it seven
times. An oven which has become impure for having been urinate in
regains its purity after twice being filled with water enough to cover
all its sides. But if it has become impure from the contact of some
other matter, such as excrement, it is enough to fill it with water
once, after having removed the impure matter. If a thing becomes
impure through having been soiled by the urine of a milk- fed boy
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(less than two years old), who has not drunk sow's milk, it is enough
to wash it all over one time to purify it. Yet it is wise to wash it again
a second time.
If the surface of a grain of wheat or rice or a piece of soap is soiled by
some impurity, it is enough to plunge it into the amount of water
required for purification in order for it to be pure again, but if the
impurity has penetrated beneath its surface, this measure is not
enough. If one cannot be absolutely sure that the impurity has
penetrated deeply into the soap, the latter remains pure. Any impure
object becomes pure only when the impure matter has been
completely eliminated from it, but if the odor or color of the impure
matter remains that makes no difference. The bits of impure food
that remains between one's teeth after eating the food become pure
if one washes his mouth with water so that all the impure remains
are washed away.
If lump sugar has been made from impure melted sugar, the lump
sugar remains impure even if placed in stagnant or running water.
Earth purifies the sole of the foot or shoe soiled with impurity, if it
fulfills the following three conditions: it is pure; it is dry; and there is
enough of it to eliminate the impure element (blood, urine,
excrement, and such) from the sole of the foot or shoe. The earth
may be muddy, firm, sandy, or pebbly; it is not enough to walk on a
rug, or carpet, or grass, to purify the foot or shoe, as it is also not
enough to walk on asphalt or flooring.
To purify the sole of the foot or shoe soiled by an impurity, one must
take at least fifteen steps, even if the impurity disappears before
fifteen steps.
For those who walk on their hands or knees, taking fifteen steps is
not enough to purify their palms or their knees soiled by an
impurity. The same applies to canes, crutches, horseshoes, wagon
wheels, and so on. If after taking the fifteen steps, small bits of
excrement or other detritus remain, they must be carefully removed,
but the persistence of their odor or color makes no difference. The
inside of the shoe, or the part of the sole of the foot which does not
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touch the ground, will not be purified by walking, and this also
applies to socks, unless the part of the sock covering the sole of the
foot is made of leather or hide.
Sun has purifying action on impure elements such as the ground, a
building, doors, windows, nails stuck into walls, if the following six
conditions are fulfilled: that the impure object be moist (if it is dry, it
must be moistened so the sun may dry it); that the impurity is
removed before the object is exposed to the rays of the sun; that
these rays are not filtered through a curtain or through clouds, for
example, unless it be an extremely thin cloud; that the impure object
is dried exclusively by the rays of the sun, and not by the combined
effort of sun and wind; that the sun dries all f the impure part of a
building at one time (the facade may not be purified first, and the
other walls only later); and, finally, that there is no intermediate
element, such as air, within the thickness of the wall. If the sun has
dried out impure ground, but later there is reason to question
whether at the time it was moist or dry, or whether its moisture
disappeared exclusively through the action of the rays of the sun or
because of other factors, that ground remains impure; the same
applies to ground or a building about which one cannot be sure that
the impurities were removed from it before it was exposed to the
sun, or whether the rays of the sun were able to play upon it directly.
If only one of the walls was exposed to the sun, the other remains
impure, unless the wall is so thin that drying one also dries the other.
Transmutation is a reaction by virtue of which an impure element is
so completely transformed that it becomes something pure. This is
the case of impure wood which in burning becomes transformed into
pure ash, or of a dog which after being buried in saline ground turns
into salt; but it does not apply to impure wheat which is made into
flour or bread. Wine which turns to vinegar, whether on its own or
due to the addition of salt or vinegar, is pure, but vinegar resulting
from wine made of grapes soiled by urine or excrement, or from
wine which has been mixed with such impurities, remains impure.
Vinegar made with impure grapes, raisins, or dates remains impure.
There is no objection to straw or small bits of the raisins being
transformed into vinegar; nor is there any objection to (^airnbers or
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The Little Green Book — Ayatollah Khomeini
eggplants being added to the dates, raisins, or grapes before they are
made into vinegar.
Reduction of grape juice by two- thirds is purifying. Boiled grape
juice is not impure even before having been reduced by two- thirds,
but its consumption is forbidden if it is proven that it is intoxicating,
in which case the juice can be purified only when it is turned into
vinegar. The juice of an unripe bunch of grapes, even if the bunch
has one or two ripe grapes on it, may be consumed, on condition that
it first be boiled and that the sweet taste of the grape has
disappeared.
Transfer is the operation by which the blood of a human being or any
other animal the blood of which spurts when its throat is cut
becomes pure by being transferred into the body of an insect the
blood of which does not gush and becoming absorbed into the blood
of the latter. On the other hand, human blood sucked by a leech
remains impure even after its transfer into the body of the leech
because it does not become absorbed into the blood of the leech.
If a person crushes a mosquito on his skin and cannot determine
whether the blood therefrom is the insect's or his own, this blood is
pure; but if the time between the bite and the death of the mosquito
is so short that no such distinction can be made, the blood is impure.
Islam. A non- Muslim man or woman who becomes a convert to
Islam automatically has a pure body, and pure saliva, nasal
secretions, and perspiration. As for cohort's clothing, if it has been in
contact with their sweating bodies before they became converted, it
remains impure.
Dependence means the purification of one impure object being
subject to the purification of another impure object. In the case of
wine being turned into vinegar, the container having held the wine
becomes pure once more up to the level reached by the wine turned
vinegar. Thus, the piece of wood or stone on which mortuary
ablutions are made, the fabric covering the genitals of the deceased,
the hand of the person who has performed these ablutions, and the
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soap with which the corpse was washed, all become pure upon
completion of the ritual.
The body of an animal or insect which was directly in contact with
some impurity such as blood, or indirectly with impure water,
becomes impure again as soon as the impure element is eliminated.
The same holds true for the inside of a human mouth or nose. This
means that if some blood runs out between one's teeth and dissolves
in saliva, it is not necessary to wash one's mouth; if artificial teeth
have been soiled by some impure matter, they must be taken out and
washed. If bits of food remain between one's teeth and the inside of
one's mouth bleeds, these bits of food are pure so long as one cannot
be certain that the blood has touched them.
Keeping an animal which normally eats the excrement from doing so
for a specific period of time. The urine and feces of such an animal
are impure; in order for them to become pure, such animals must be
kept from eating human excrement for forty days for a camel, twenty
days for cattle, ten days for sheep, seven or five days for a turkey,
and three days for a chicken.
Absence of the Muslim. If the clothing, kitchen utensils, or rugs
belonging to a Muslim have been soiled by impure matter, and their
owner is absent, they may not automatically be considered to be
impure so long as one is not sure that they were not washed and
purified before he left, or that they did not happen to fall into
running water which purified them.
If one is certain that an object soiled by some impure matter has
been purified, or if two trustworthy witnesses confirm that it has, the
object becomes pure once again. This is also true of an impure object
about which its owner asserts that it has been purified or that a
Muslim has washed it, even if it cannot be established that he did so
according to ritual.
One must not eat or drink out of any container made of pigskin or
dog's hide, or any container made from the bone of any animal.
The remains of the food of dogs, pigs, and non- Muslim men and
women are impure; the remains of the food of animals the flesh of
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which may be eaten are not impure, but it is nevertheless better to
abstain therefrom.
36
n n
On the Nature of water
There are two kinds of water; pure water, and water that is "in
solution," such as, for instance, watermelon juice or attar of roses, or
muddy water. Pure water is divided into five categories; stagnant
water large enough in sufficient quantity; running water; rainwater;
and well water.
Kor, or purifying water, is the quantity of water held in a container
the length, width and depth of which each are 3V2 vadjabs [about 70
centimeters or 27 inches] . This quantity of water should weigh about
128 maunds less 20 miskals [about 390 kilograms or 858 pounds].
If the above-mentioned water changes in taste, odor, or color
because of impure contacts, such as with blood or urine, it becomes
impure; but if it indirectly changes in odor, color, or taste because of
some impure matter, for example if its odor is changed because of
the proximity of some decomposing matter, it remains pure.
Water which has been polluted by blood, urine, or other impurities,
and has thereby been changed in odor, color, or taste, is purified by
running water or by rainwater which falls directly into it, or
rainwater driven into it by the wind, or carried to it by a drainpipe,
and thereby regains its purifying properties.
That a quantity of water is enough to be purifying may be established
in one of two ways: either through one's own personal conviction
that it is, or by two trustworthy men affirming that it is.
The water used for washing the urinary orifice and the anus remains
pure in the five cases: if it has neither the odor, the color, nor the
taste of urine or feces; if no external impurity has touched it; if no
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other impure matter such as blood issued from the anus or the
urinary orifice at the same time as the excrement or urine; if no
particles of excrement or urine are visible in the water; if the
excrement that touched the anus as not exceptionally abundant.
Running water, even though in lesser quantity than that of purifying
water, remains pure and therefore drinkable if it contains excrement
or urine, provided however that the admixture of these has not
altered its odor, color, or taste.
If excrement, urine, or other impurities have polluted running water,
only that part of it which has been changed in odor, color, or taste
becomes impure; the rest remains pure.
If excrement, urine, or any other impurity should be on the roof of a
house and be rained upon, the rainwater remains pure if it continues
falling and running directly off the roof or down a gutter or
drainpipe; but if the rain stops, the water that continues running off
and which is known to have touched the impurities on the roof is
impure.
38
n i4
On Ablution
[ Body Purification ]
There are two kinds of ablutions; the kind known as "step by step,"
which consists of washing the different parts of the body one after
the other, and the kind known as "total," in which the whole body is
immersed in water.
In step- by- step ablutions, one must begin by proclaiming in both
loud and a low voice that one is planning to perform his ablutions;
after that, one should wash one's head and the back of the neck, then
the right side of the body, followed by the left side. If this precise
order is not followed, whether deliberately or out of ignorance, the
ablutions are not valid. It is to be pointed out that the right side of
the navel and the right side of the genitals must be washed with the
right side of the body, and the left side of the navel and genitals with
the left side of the body. However, it is more prudent to was navel
and genitals in their entirety along with each side of the body. If once
the ablution is completed, one suspects that some part of the body
has been overlooked, the ritual must be repeated; in that case, if the
overlooked part is on the left side of the body, it is enough to wash
only that part, but if it is on the right side of the body, after washing
that part, the whole left side of the body must be washed again.
In a total ablution, one must immerse the entire body in water, after
having proclaimed in both a loud and a low voice that this is one's
intention. If one notices, after the ablution, that some part of the
body remained outside the water, even though one may not know
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exactly which part of the body it was, the entire ritual must be
repeated.
It is necessary that during ablution not one part of the body remain
unwashed; however, it is not required that one wash those parts
which are not visible, such as the inside of the ears or nose. In the
case of ears that are pierced, the holes in them must be washed if
they are large enough so the insides of them can be seen; otherwise,
this is not necessary.
During ablution, one must wash the shortest hairs on the body, but it
is recommended that even the longest be washed. If one washes his
anus in the water of a public bath, one must first obtain the
permission of the owner of this bath for the ablution to be valid. If
during ablution, one breaks wind or urinates, the ritual remains
valid. If one performs his ablutions after having ejaculated and one
has a verse of the Qur'an or the name of Allah written or tattooed on
his body, one's hand must not touch that part of the body during the
ablution, but that part must be washed without being touched.
Sperm is always impure, whether it results from actual coitus or
from an emission while one is either conscious or asleep, whether it
is abundant or not, whether or not it results from sexual pleasure,
whether emission is intentional or not.
It is recommended that one urinate after ejaculation; if one does not,
the discharge that might follow one's ablution would have to be
considered to be sperm, even though it seems doubtful.
During sexual intercourse, if the penis enters a woman's vagina or a
man's anus, fully or only as far as the circumcision ring, both
partners become impure, even if they have not reached puberty; they
must consequently perform their ablutions.
If the man thinks that he has not entered the woman's vagina
beyond the circumcision ring, ablution is not required.
If a man - Allah protect him from it! - fornicates with an animal and
ejaculates, ablution is necessary.
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If a sperm moves inside the penis but does not come out, or if there
is doubt about whether it actually was emitted, ablution is not
required.
A man who has ejaculated and has not yet performed his ablutions
must avoid the following ten acts: eating; drinking; reading more
than seven verses of the Qur'an; touching the binding of the Qur'an,
or the margins of its pages, or the spaces between the lines; carrying
the Qur'an on his person; sleeping; dyeing his beard with henna;
anointing himself with grease or oil; having sexual intercourse after
having ejaculated in his sleep.
If a man has sexual intercourse with his wife during the periods of
prescribed abstinence, such as the month's fast of Ramadan, his
sweat is impure, and he may not say his daily prayers while in such a
state.
If a man becomes aroused by a woman other than his wife but then
has intercourse with his own wife, it is preferable for him not to pray
if he has sweated; but if he first has intercourse with his spouse and
then with another woman, he may say his prayers even though he be
in a sweat.
A man who has ejaculated as a result of intercourse with a woman
other than his wife, and who then ejaculates again while having
coitus with his legal wife, does not have the right to say his prayers
while still sweating; but if he had intercourse with his wife first and
then with a woman not his wife, he may say his prayers even though
still sweating.
If a fly or any other insect settled first on something impure that is
moist and then on something pure that is moist, the latter in turn
becomes impure, provided one can be certain that the former was
impure; failing that, it remains pure.
Besides the ablutions that are necessary and unavoidable there are a
number of ablutions that are highly recommended in order to please
Allah. A few of them are:
■ Ablution performed Friday between dawn and noon.
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■ Ablution performed on the eve of the first day of Ramadan and
the eves of all the odd days of that month, (third, fifth, seventh,
and so on). The ablutions on the eves of the first, fifteenth,
seventeenth, nineteenth, twenty- first, twenty- third, twenty- fifth,
twenty- seventh, and twenty- ninth days of Ramadan are
especially recommended. On the eve of the twenty- third day, one
would be well advised to perform two ablutions, one at the
beginning and the other at the end of the night.
■ Ablution performed by a woman who has used perfume for a
man other than her husband.
■ Ablution of the man who has fallen asleep while in a drunken
state.
■ Ablution of a man or woman who, during a total eclipse of the
sun or the moon, have not said their prayers.
■ Ablution of one who has witnessed the hanging of a person
condemned to death. If he did not witness it of his own free will,
ablution is not necessarily required.
42
n 15
On the five Namaz
[ Daily Ritual Prayers ]
The person who says his five daily prayers must do so in a state of
prefect concentration and complete meditation. He must abstain
from committing sins such as those of jealousy, pride, or
scandalmongering, or eating forbidden foods, drinking alcoholic
beverages, or refusing to pay his tithes to the clergy. It is also
preferable that he abstain from committing such venial sins as
saying his daily prayers while half asleep or holding back his need to
urinate, nor should he look up at the sky while praying. On the other
hand, he would do well before praying to make sure that he has agate
rings on his fingers, that he is properly dressed and well combed,
that his teeth are brushed, and that he is perfumed.
While he is performing his five daily prayers, a man must make sure
that, even if they cannot be seem, his genitals and his rear are
covered. It is better if he covers the whole part of his body from the
navel to the knees.
A woman, while saying her five daily prayers, must cover her entire
body, including her head and her hair; however, it is permissible for
her to leave uncovered a part of her face and hands and her feet up
to the ankles.
If a man should discover, while saying his prayer, that his member is
not covered, he must cover it immediately, and if that takes too
much time, he must stop his prayer and start over from the
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The Little Green Book — Ayatollah Khomeini
beginning. But if he discovers that his member is not covered only
after completing his prayer, the prayer remains valid.
During daily prayer, it is permissible to cover one's body and genitals
with grass or the leaves of trees, but it is better to do this only when
there are no other means at hand.
During joint prayer, the woman must position herself behind the
man. If the woman and the man enter the place of worship at the
same time and the woman happens to find herself in front of the
man, she must say her prayer again after placing herself where she
belong, i.e., behind the main.
It is highly recommended to avoid eating at the same table as one
who does not attend the mosque; one must also avoid asking the
advice of such a one, living near him, marrying a woman of his
family, or giving him one's daughter in marriage.
It is forbidden to say one's daily prayers in the following places: a
bath; saline ground; facing someone else; facing an open door; on a
highway, avenue, or street; before a fireplace or lamp; in the kitchen
and any other place where there is an oven; in front of a well or
cesspool; facing a portrait or statue of a living model, unless these
are covered; in the presence of someone who has ejaculated and has
not yet performed his ablutions; in a room in which there is a
photograph, even if it is not located facing the person praying; facing
a grave, or on a grave, or between two graves in a cemetery.
It is not advisable to allow a feebleminded person, a child, or
someone who has just eaten garlic into the mosque.
One who falls asleep while saying his prayer must say it over again if
he realizes he dozed during the prayer; if he is not sure of having
done so, the prayer remains valid.
Coughing, belching loudly, or sighing does not invalidate a prayer.
On the other hand, the prayer is voided if one emits interjections of
two letters or more.
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If a person who is praying turns red in the face from suppressing an
impulse to burst out laughing, that person must start the prayer over
again.
If a person sobs aloud while praying because of some earthly sorrow,
the prayer is invalid; but if he weeps to himself, the prayer is valid.
However, if it is not over an earthly sorrow but because of the fear of
Allah or the hereafter, he is urgently encouraged to weep.
Clapping one's hands or jumping up in the air during a prayer makes
it null and void.
If, during prayer, one swallows bits of food left over between one's
teeth, the prayer is not invalidated; but if one has a piece of sugar in
his mouth and the sugar slowly melts during the prayer, the value of
the latter is debatable.
During prayer, one must avoid bending one's head to the right or
left, closing one's eyes, clasping one's hands, spitting, toying with
one's beard, looking at the writings of the Qur'an or any other
writings, or at the design of a ring. One must also avoid praying hen
one feels sleepy, when one feels an urge to urinate or defecate, or
when one is wearing socks that are too tight.
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n i6
On Prayers in Case of
Natural Phenomenon
Namaze-ayat is the name given to the prayer to be said when one
witnesses natural phenomena which inspire fear. This prayer is
required in the four following cases: total or partial eclipse of the
sun; total or partial eclipse of the moon; earthquake, even though it
be not fearsome; thunder, lightning, and black or red winds.
If several of these phenomena occur simultaneously, for instance if
an eclipse should be accompanied by an earthquake, two prayers are
recovered.
In case of earthquake or liqhtninq or thunder, one must pray
immediately. Failing to do so is a sin which is not pardoned until
after this prayer is said, no matter how much later, even to the last
day of a person's life.
If a woman is having her period during a solar or lunar eclipse and
until the eclipse is over, no prayer for this natural phenomenon is
required. Nor is she obliged to say it at a later date.
46
n i7
On pasting
Sexual intercourse is a breaking of the fast, even if the penis enters
the vagina only as far as the circumcision ring, and even if no
ejaculation results.
If the penis enters less deeply into the vagina and there is no
ejaculation, the fast has not been broken.
If the man cannot determine with certainty what length of his penis
entered into the vagina, and if he has gone in beyond the
circumcision ring, his fast has not been broken.
If a man has intercourse because he has forgotten that he is in a
fasting period, or if someone forces him to have intercourse, his fast
has not been broken. But if he remembers the fast while the sex act is
taking place, or if he is no longer forcibly constrained to complete
the coitus, he must interrupt it immediately.
If a man during a fasting period masturbates and brings himself to
ejaculation, his fast has been broken.
If a man ejaculates involuntarily, his fast remains valid, but if he
himself does anything whatsoever to help along his involuntary
ejaculation, the fast is considered to be null and void.
Taking an enema, even for medically therapeutic reasons, breaks the
fast; but the use of suppositories is not forbidden; however, it is
preferable to abstain from using opium suppositories.
The fast of one who, in thought, or word, or deed, bears false witness
against Allah, or His Prophet or his successors, is immediately
invalidated, even though he may confess on the spot to having lied
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and proclaim his repentance. In all likelihood, Saint Fatima
[daughter of Muhammad and wife of Ali], as well as the other
prophets and their successors, are also included among those against
whom one may not blaspheme.
If, during the fast, one attributes in all good faith some statement to
Allah or to His Prophet, and one afterward learns that his as in error,
the fast remains valid. If one intentionally attributes some false
quotation to Allah or to His Prophet or his successors, the fast loses
its value' but if one is only repeating such a quotation heard from a
third party, the fast remains valid.
The fast is invalidated if one plunges his entire head under water,
but if one immerses only the right side and then the left side, the
value of the fast remains intact. One's head must not be immersed in
rose water; however, it may be immersed in other waters in solution,
or in other liquids.
If, in order to rescue a person from drowning, one's head becomes
immersed during a period of fasting, one's fast is invalidated, even if
there was no other way of saving the drowning person's life.
If one has ejaculated and abstains from performing the prescribed
ablutions during the vigil of the month of Ramadan, the fast loses its
value.
If a person believes he ill have sufficient time, before a Ramadan
vigil, to complete his ablutions after ejaculation, but discovers
afterward that he does not have time enough, he may postpone his
ablutions in order to begin the fast.
If a fly enters the month of a person during a period of fasting, he is
not forced to take it out, if it has not gone too far into the throat; if it
has remained in the mouth, he must take it out even if that causes
vomiting which invalidates the fast.
If by inadvertence one eats something during the fast, and then one
realizes it, one must not attempt to retrieve the part of it which has
already been swallowed.
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The following practices are inadvisable during fasts; putting drops in
one's eyes; having a blood transfusion or taking a bath; pinching
snuff or smelling aromatic plants; taking sitz baths (applies to
women only); taking suppositories; getting one's clothes wet; having
teeth pulled or undergoing any other surgery which might cause
blood to flow into the mouth brushing one's teeth with moist wood;
becoming intimate with one's wife, even without the intention of
coming to ejaculation, or deliberately arousing oneself (if ejaculation
is deliberately brought about, the fast is invalidated) .
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n is
On woman and Her Periods
Woman is pseudo- menstrual hen blood is discharged from her
vagina outside he time of her regular periods. The blood may be
yellowish, cold, and fluid, and be discharged without any burning
sensation; it may also be blackish or yellow, hot, thick, and cause a
burning sensation as it passes.
Pseudo- menses are of three kinds: weak, medium, and abundant. If
the blood does not fully soak a piece of cotton introduced into the
vagina, the pseudo- menses are weak; if it soaks the cotton without
going through to the fabric placed over the vulva, the pseudo- menses
are medium; if, on the other hand , the blood soaks through both
cotton and fabric, these are abundant pseudo- menses.
In the case of weak pseudo- menses, the woman must wash according
to religious ritual before praying, change the cotton or ash it, and
also wash her vulva if it has been soiled by the blood.
The menstrual period proper is the period of those few days during
the month when blood is discharged from women's vaginas. This
blood is most often thick, hot, blackish red or bright red, and gushes
forth with a burning sensation.
Women of the lineage of the Prophet of Islam are menopausal at the
age of sixty; others, once they are over fifty.
Blood that is discharged from the vagina of a girl under the age of
nine and a woman over the age of sixty can therefore not be
considered menstrual blood.
The pregnant woman and the nursing woman may have regular
menstrual periods.
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It is indispensable that during the first three days of the menses, the
blood not be stopped from flowing; therefore, if the flow ceases after
two days to resume a day later, it is not menstrual blood.
It is not indispensable that the blood flow out of the vagina for all of
the three days; it is sufficient that there be some inside the vagina.
If a woman sees blood flowing from her vagina for more than three
days and less than ten days, and is not sure whether this is
menstrual blood or blood from an abscess, she must attempt to
introduce a piece of cotton into her vagina and then withdraw it. If
the blood runs out on the left side, it is menstrual blood; if on the
right side, it is from the abscess.
If a woman sees blood flowing from her vagina and wonders whether
it is menstrual blood or the blood of her hymen, she must introduce
a piece of cotton into her vagina and leave it there for a while before
withdrawing it. If the blood has spotted only the edges of the cotton,
it is the blood of the hymen; if the whole piece of cotton is soaked
with blood, it is menstrual.
If a woman sees blood flow from her vagina for less than three days,
then stop and resume for a period of three days, then stop and
resume for a period of three days, then stop and resume for a period
of three days, it is this second flow which must be considered to be
that of the menses, even if the first one coincided more exactly with
her menstrual cycle.
During the time a woman is menstruating, it is preferable for a man
to avoid coitus, even if it does not involve full penetration - that is,
as far as the circumcision ring - and even if it does not involve
ejaculation. It is also highly inadvisable for him to sodomize her
during this time.
If the number of days of the woman's menstrual period is divided by
three, a husband who has intercourse with her during the first two
days must pay the eguivalent of 18 nokhods [about 3 grams or 0.1
ounces] of gold to the poor; if he has it on the third or fourth days,
the eguivalent of 9 nokhods; and if he has it during the last two days,
the eguivalent of 4.5 nokhods.
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Sodomizing a menstruating woman does not require such payment.
If a man has intercourse with his wife during all three of these
periods, he must pay the equivalent in gold of 3.5 nokhods. If the
price of gold has changed between the coitus and the time of
payment, the rate in effect on the date of payment will prevail.
If during an act of intercourse a man notices that the woman has
begun menstruating, he must withdraw; if he fails to, he must give
alms to the poor.
If such a man cannot afford to give alms to the poor, he must at least
give something to a beggar. If he cannot afford that either, he must
ask forgiveness of Allah.
After a wife's menstrual period, her husband may repudiate her,
even if she has not yet made her ablutions. He may also indulge in
relations with her, but it is preferable that he wait until she has made
her ablutions. In the interim, the woman is not authorized to do
anything which is forbidden to her during menstruation, such as
going into a mosque or touching the writing of the Qur'an, until she
has completed her ablutions.
52
n i9
On Marriage, adultery, and
Conjugal Relations
A woman may legally belong to a man in one of two ways; by
continuing marriage or temporary marriage. In the former, the
duration of the marriage need not be specified; in the latter, it must
be stipulated, for example, that it is for a period of an hour, a day, a
month, a year, or more.
Marriage, whether continuing or temporary, must be sealed by a
religious formula spoken either by the woman or by the man, or by
one of their representatives.
As long as the woman and man have not contracted a religious
marriage, they are not entitled to look upon one another. To allow
that, it is not enough to assume that the marriage formula has been
spoken, but if the person representing them states that it has been
spoken, then that is enough to validate the marriage.
If a woman authorizes someone to marry her to a man for a period of
ten days, for example, without specifying the exact date, the man
may contract the marriage at his pleasure, but if the woman has
specified a precise day and hour, the formula must be spoken at the
specified time.
The legal marriage formula must be read in Arabic, but if one cannot
speak that language correctly, it may be spoken in a different
language.
A father or a paternal grandfather has the right to marry off a child
who is insane or who has not reached puberty by acting as its
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The Little Green Book — Ayatollah Khomeini
representative. The child may not annul such a marriage after
reaching puberty or regaining his sanity, unless the marriage is to his
manifest disadvantage.
Any girl who is of age, that is, capable of understanding what is in
her own best interest, if she wishes to get married and is a virgin,
must procure authorization of her father or paternal grandfather.
The permission of her mother or brother is not required.
If a father or paternal grandfather marries off prepubescent son or
grandson, the latter will be responsible once he has reached puberty,
for taking care of his wife's material needs.
A marriage is annulled if a man finds that his wife is afflicted with
one of the seven following debilities: madness, leprosy, eczema,
blindness, paralysis with aftereffects, malformation of the urinary
and genital tracts or of the genital tract and rectum through
conjoining thereof, or vaginal malformation making coitus
impossible.
If a wife finds out after marriage that her husband is suffering from
mental illness, that he is a castrate, impotent, or has had his testicles
excised, she may apply for annulment of her marriage.
If a wife has her marriage annulled because her husband is unable to
have sexual relations with her either vaginally or anally, he must pay
her as damages one- half of the dowry specified in the marriage
contract. If the husband or wife annuls the marriage for any of the
above-mentioned reasons, the man owes nothing to the woman if
they have had sexual relations together; if they have not, he must pay
her the full amount of the dowry.
It is forbidden to marry one's mother, sister, or stepmother.
It is forbidden to marry one's mother-in-law, or one's wife's
maternal or paternal grandmother or any of her great-
grandmothers, even though one's marriage to her may never have
been consummated.
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A man who marries a woman and has sexual relations with her may
not marry her daughter or granddaughter, even if these be by a
different marriage.
A man may not marry his wife's daughter, even if their marriage has
not been consummated.
Aunts of the bride's father and the aunts of her grandparents need
not wear the veil in the presence of the groom; the father,
grandfather, and great-grandfather of the groom, as well as his sons,
grandsons, and all his male descendants, may freely look upon the
bride.
A man may not marry the nieces of his wife without the latter's
consent; if he should nevertheless do so without getting consent, but
his wife raises no objection, then there is no problem.
A man who has committed adultery with his aunt must not marry
her daughters, that is to say, his first cousins.
If a man who has married his first cousin commits adultery with her
mother, the marriage is not thereby annulled.
If a man commits adultery with a woman other than his aunt, it is
highly recommended that he not marry the daughter of that woman.
If he marries a woman, consummates the marriage, and then
commits adultery with her mother, the marriage is not thereby
annulled. Nor is it automatically annulled in the case of his having
committed such adultery before the marriage was consummated, but
in that case it is better if the husband voluntarily annuls the
marriage.
A Muslim woman may not marry a non- Muslim man; nor may a
Muslim man marry a non- Muslim woman in continuing marriage,
but he may take a Jewish or Christian woman in temporary
marriage.
A man who marries an already married woman must break off his
marriage with her and refrain from ever marrying her again.
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A married woman remains legally married after having committed
adultery; however, should she not repent and should she continue to
be unfaithful to her husband, it is preferable for the latter to
repudiate her, but with full payment to her of her dowry.
The mother, sister, or daughter of a man who has been sodomized by
another man may not marry the latter, even if both men or one of
them had not yet reached puberty at the time; but if one who was the
victim of the act cannot prove it, his mother, sister, or daughter is
allowed to marry the other man.
If a man who has married a girl who has not reached puberty
possesses her sexually before her ninth birthday, inflicting
traumatisms upon her, he has no right to repeat such an act with
her.
If a man sodomizes the son, brother, or father of his wife after their
marriage, the marriage remains valid.
A woman who has contracted a continuing marriage does not have
the right to go out of the house without her husband's permission;
she must remain at his disposal for the fulfillment of any one of his
desires, and may not refuse herself to him except for a religiously
valid reason. If she is totally submissive to him, the husband must
provide her with her food, clothing, and lodging, whether or not he
has the means to do so.
A woman who refuses herself to her husband is guilty, and may not
demand from him food, clothing, lodging, or any later sexual
relations; however, she retains the right to be paid damages if she is
repudiated.
A husband is not obligated to pay any travel expenses incurred by his
wife which exceed what her expenses would have been at home; but
if travel was undertaken at his own suggestion, then he must take
care of the expenses.
A wife who scrupulously obeys her husband has the right to be paid
the daily household expenses for any of the husband's assets, in the
case the latter refuses voluntarily to pay for them. But if she is forced
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to meet such expenses out of her on pocket, she is not obligated to
obey her husband.
A man who has contracted a continuing marriage may not leave his
wife for so long a time as to allow her to question the validity if the
marriage; however, he is not obligated to spend one night out of
every four with her.
A husband must have sexual relations with his wife at least once in
every four months.
If, at the time of contracting the marriage, no specific time was
indicated at which the husband was to pay the dowry to his wife, the
wife may refuse herself to her husband for so long as that amount of
money has not been paid her. But once she has agreed to have sexual
relations with her husband, she can no longer later refuse to, except
for religiously valid reasons.
A temporary marriage, even though only one of convenience, is
nevertheless legal.
A man must not abstain from having sexual relations with his
temporary wife fr more than four months.
If the temporary marriage contract includes a clause specifying that
the husband is not entitled to have normal sexual relations with his
wife, such a clause must be respected. He must then be satisfied with
giving her pleasures in other ways. But as soon as the wife consents
to it, he may perform the natural sex act with her.
A woman ho has been temporarily married in exchange for a
previously established dowry has no right to demand that her daily
expenses be paid by her husband, even when she becomes pregnant.
A temporarily married wife may not inherit from her husband; nor
may he inherit from her.
A temporarily married woman is entitled to go out of the house
without asking her husband's permission, unless the fact of her so
going out harms him in one way or another.
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If a father (or paternal grandfather) marries off his daughter (or
granddaughter) in her absence without knowing for a certainty that
she is alive, the marriage becomes null and void as soon as it is
established that she was dead at the time of the marriage.
It is forbidden for a man to look upon the body of a woman who is
not his wife, under any pretext whatsoever. It is equally forbidden
for a woman to look upon the body of a man who is not her husband.
To look upon the face and hair of a girl who has not reached puberty,
if it is done without intention of enjoyment thereof, and if one is not
afraid of succumbing to temptation, may be tolerated. It is however
recommended that one not look upon her belly or thighs, which
must remain covered.
To look upon the faces ad hands of J ewish or Christian women, if
this is not done with intention of enjoyment thereof, and if one does
not fear temptation, is tolerated.
A woman must hide her body and her hair from the eyes of men. It is
highly recommended that she also hide them from those of
prepubescent boys, if she suspects that they may look upon her with
lust.
It is forbidden to look upon the genitals of another person, even
from behind a glass, or in a mirror, or in standing water. It is even
expressly recommended to abstain from looking at the genitals of a
child who knows the difference between good and evil. But it is
permitted for husband and wife to look upon each other in all parts
of their bodies.
A man must not look upon the body of another man with lustful
intent. Likewise, a woman may not look upon another woman with
such intent.
It is not forbidden for a man to photograph a woman other than his
wife, but if in order to do so he must touch her, then he must not
photograph her.
If a woman is called upon to give an enema to a woman or to a man
other than her husband, or to wash their genitals, then she must
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The Little Green Book — Ayatollah Khomeini
cover her hand so as not to come into direct contact with the genital
organs; the same precautions must be taken by a man where another
man or a woman other than his wife are concerned.
If a man is called upon, for medical reasons, to look upon a woman
other than his wife and to touch her body, he is permitted to do so,
but if he can give such care by only looking at the body he must not
touch it, and if he can give it by only touching, he must not look at it.
If a man or woman be forced, in order to administer medical care, to
look upon the genitals of another person, he or she must do so
indirectly, in a mirror, except in case of absolute necessity.
If the husband has included in the marriage contract a clause
guaranteeing his wife's virginity, he may annul the marriage if it
turns out that she was not a virgin.
If a woman abjures her faith before her marriage is consummated,
the marriage is annulled; the like is true after conclusion of the
marriage, if she is menopausal. But if she is not menopausal and
returns to her Muslim beliefs within a hundred days after the
breaking off of marriage, it again becomes valid.
A man whose father or mother as a Muslim at the time of his
conception, and who himself embraced the Muslim faith after
reaching puberty, will have his marriage automatically abolished if
he becomes an apostate.
The marriage of a man born of non- Muslim parents but who himself
became a convert to Islam is automatically annulled if he renounces
his faith before consummating the marriage. If he renounces his
faith after having sexual relations with his wife, she must wait one
hundred days after the annulment of the marriage before marrying
again, if she is of age to have menstrual periods. Thus, the marriage
remains valid if during those one hundred days the husband returns
to the Muslim fold; otherwise, the annulment is irreversible.
If the woman inserts into the marriage contract a cause binding her
husband not to mover her away from the city, and the husband
accepts such a clause, then he must abide by it.
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The Little Green Book — Ayatollah Khomeini
The husband of a woman who has had a daughter by a previous
marriage may marry that daughter to a son of his by a previous
marriage. He himself has the right to marry the mother of a girl
married to his son.
A woman who becomes pregnant as a result of adultery must not
have an abortion.
If a man commits adultery with an unmarried woman, and
subsequently marries her, the child born of that marriage will be a
bastard unless the parents can be sure it was conceived after they
were married.
One need not believe a woman who claims to have entered
menopause. On the one hand, she must be believed if she asserts
that she is not married.
It is highly recommended that a girl be married off as soon as she
reaches the age of puberty. One of the blessings of man is to have his
daughter experience her first period not in her father's house, but in
that of her husband.
A child born of an adulterous father is legitimate.
It is a sin to have sexual relations with one's wife during the fast of
Ramadan or while she is having her menses, but the child born of
such relations is legitimate.
If a man marries a woman and possesses her sexually, he may no
longer marry any girl whom this woman has breast-fed.
A man may not marry a wet nurse who has breast-fed his wife.
A man may not marry a girl who was ever breast-fed by his mother
or his grandmother.
The best person to breast-feed a newborn baby is its own mother. It
is preferable that she not ask to be paid for such services, but that
her husband pay her for it of his own free will. If the sum the mother
asks for is greater than that charged by a wet nurse, the husband is
free to take the child from its mother and turn it over to the wet
nurse.
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The Little Green Book — Ayatollah Khomeini
It is recommended that the wet nurse be a faithful Shi'ite, intelligent,
modest, and pretty. On the other hand, it is most inadvisable that
she be feebleminded, a nonbeliever in the Twelve Imams, ugly, or a
bastard, or of bad character. It is equally inadvisable to select as wet
nurse a woman who has an illegitimate child.
It is recommended that every child be breast-fed for two whole
years.
61
n 20
On Divorce
A man who repudiates his wife must be of sound mind and past the
age of puberty. He must do so of his own free will and without any
constraint; thereof, if the formula for divorce is spoken in jest the
marriage is not annulled.
The woman must not be having her period at the time of the divorce,
and the husband must not have had sexual relations with her since
her last period.
In three cases, a man may repudiate his wife while she is having her
period: if he has had no sexual relations with her since their
marriage; if she is pregnant while the husband believes she is having
her period, and it is learned only later that she was pregnant at the
time of the repudiation; if he is not certain, because of the distance
that separated them, whether his wife is them having her period.
A man who has had sexual relations with his wife after her last
menstrual period must wait for her to have her next one before he
may divorce her. But he may divorce his wife if she has not yet
reached her ninth birthday, or is pregnant, or is menopausal.
If a husband who has had sexual relations with his wife between
menstrual periods, divorces her during this time and learns later
that she was pregnant when the divorce took place, the latter
remains valid.
A women temporarily married, say, for a month or a year, has her
marriage automatically annulled at the end of that time, or at any
other time when the husband releases her from the balance of her
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The Little Green Book — Ayatollah Khomeini
engagement. It is not necessary for this that there be any witnesses,
or that the woman have had her period.
A woman who has not yet reached the age of nine or a menopausal
woman may remarry immediately after divorce, without waiting the
hundred days that are otherwise required.
A woman who has had her ninth birthday or who has not yet entered
menopause, must wait for three menstrual periods after her divorce
before being allowed to remarry.
If a woman who has not reached her ninth birthday or who has not
entered menopause gets temporarily married, she must, at the end
of the contract or when the husband has released her from part of it,
wait two menstrual periods or forty- five days before marrying again.
If a man commits adultery with a woman he knows is not his wife,
while the woman is unaware that the man is not her husband, she
must wait one hundred days before remarrying.
If a man encourages a married woman to leave her husband so as to
marry him, they are both committing a great sin, but the divorce and
their marriage remain in force.
If the father or paternal grandfather of a boy has him marry a
woman for a temporary marriage, he may prematurely cancel it in
the boys interest, even if the marriage was contracted before the boy
reached the age of puberty. If, for example, a fourteen- year- old boy
has been married off to a woman for a period of two years, they may
return her freedom to the woman before this time has run its course;
but a continuing marriage cannot be broken in this way.
If a man repudiates his wife without informing her of it, and
continues to meet her expenses for a period of, say, a year, and at the
end of that time informs her that he got a divorce a year earlier and
shows her proof of it, he may require that she return to him anything
he has bought or given her during that time, provided that she has
not used it up or consumed it, in which case he cannot demand its
return.
63
n 2i
On the Mortuary Ritual
If a part of the body becomes detached, whether after or before
death, and one touches such a part when the cleansing of the corpse
has not yet been completed, one must undergo a purifying ablution;
but this is not necessary if the part of the body involved is boneless.
If one touches a bone or a tooth removed from a corpse, ablution is
necessary; but it is not required if the bone or tooth was removed
from a live body, unless there is a muscle attached to it.
One must avoid leaving a dying person alone, placing a heavy object
on his belly, leaving him in the care of a man who has ejaculated or a
woman who is having her period, speaking too much in his presence,
weeping, or leaving him in the sole care of women.
Ablution of a dead man by a woman, or visa versa, is forbidden. But
the woman may perform this ritual if the man is her husband, and
the man in the case of his own wife. However, it is preferable that
they do not do it.
It is forbidden to look upon the sexual organs of a dead man or
woman. The person performing the ablution ritual commits a
cardinal sin if he violates this ban, but the ablution does not thereby
lose its validity.
During the ritual, the genitals of the corpse must remain covered,
even if only by a piece of wood or a brick.
If a person dies in a well and it is impossible to get the body out, the
well must be shut off and become his tomb.
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The Little Green Book — Ayatollah Khomeini
If a child dies within the mother's womb and it is a danger to her life
to leave it there, it must be extracted in the easiest way possible; it
can, if need be, be cut into pieces; this should be done either by the
woman's husband or by a woman of this profession.
One has no right to exhume the body of a Muslim, not even that of a
child or of a madman, unless it has turned to dust.
One may exhume a body if it is done in order to remove a still living
child from its mother's womb, or if there is danger that a wild animal
may devour it, or that a flood may carry it away, or that it may fall
into the hands of the enemy. One may also reopen a sepulcher in
order to deposit in it a part of the departed one's body which has
been found or recovered after burial.
65
11-22
On finance and Taxes
All commercial transactions which involve any of the following are
declared null and void: trade in urine, excrement, or alcoholic
beverages; trade in misappropriated wealth, unless the owner
thereof agrees to it; trade in anything other than merchandise; trade
in musical instruments or gambling accessories; trade based upon
interest produced by a sum of money; sale of any adulterated
merchandise, unless the buyer is informed of the fact in advance.
Trade in oil, curative solutions, and perfumes imported from non-
Muslim countries is allowed, provided that their impurity has not
been proven; on the other hand, fat is impure if it is produced in an
Islamic country and comes form an animal which has not been
established to have been slaughtered according to Muslim ritual.
Trade in such products is illegal.
There can be no trade in skins of foxes which died or were
slaughtered in manners contrary to Muslim ritual.
Trade in meat, fat, and skins is allowed, provided the seller is a
Muslim; but it is forbidden if the buyer knows that this Muslim got
them from an infidel, unless it is formally established that the
animals were killed in accordance with the rules prevailing in Islam.
Any trade in objects for enjoyment, such as musical instruments,
however small they may be, is strictly illegal.
A Muslim is allowed to reguire payment by an infidel of interest on
money that he has lent him. This is also allowed between father and
child, and between husband and wife.
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The Little Green Book — Ayatollah Khomeini
Persons who work oil deposits, or gold, silver, lead, copper, iron,
turquoise, salt or other mines must pay the khoms [one- fifth tax on
income] to the Islamic Treasury provided the income therefrom
reaches the required minimum. This minimum must be the
equivalent in value of coins comprising 415 grams of silver or 45
grams of gold, after deduction of expenses. If the income does not
reach such a figure, the khoms is still due if the gross income exceeds
annual expenses.
Anyone who discovers treasure the value of which is at least that of
coins of 415 grams of silver or 45 grams of gold must also pay the
khoms to the Islamic Treasury.
If a person buys an animal and thereafter discovers in its belly some
valuable object, he must first inquire of the seller whether that
objects belongs to him. If it does not, he must check back with
previous owners. If it turns out that the object belongs to none of
them, he must pay the khoms, even if the price of the object is less
than 415 grams of silver or 45 grams of gold.
If someone dives into a river, such as the Tigris or Euphrates, and
comes up with a jewel, he must pay the khoms on its value, provided
that such rivers are known customarily to contain such jewels.
If a person dives and comes up with a quantity of amber of value in
excess of 4 grams of gold, he must pay the khoms on it, even if it was
the result of more than a single dive.
If a child discovers a mine or a treasure or finds a jewel under water,
his father or guardian must pay the khoms on it.
The income from the khoms collected throughout the country is to
be divided between Seyed [descendants of the Prophet] and the Holy
Imam, represented in our time by a Modjtahed [learned man]. The
Seyed's share is to be meted out, with the Modjtahed's permission,
to poor Seyed, orphaned Seyed, and ruined Seyed. The Imam's share
may be spent only with the permission of his representative on
earth, the Modjtahed.
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The Little Green Book — Ayatollah Khomeini
The zakat [obligatory alms - tax] for camels is to be computed on
the basis of twelve brackets:
1) one sheep for five camels;
2) two sheep for ten camels;
3) three sheep for fifteen camels;
4) four sheep for twenty camels;
5) five sheep for twenty- five camels;
6) one second- year camel for twenty- six camels;
7) one third- year camel for thirty- six camels;
8) one fourth- year camel for forty- six camels;
9) one fifth- year camel for sixty- one camels;
10) two third- year camels for seventy- six camels;
11) two fourth- year camels for ninety- nine camels;
12) for 120 camels or more, one must figure one three- year- old
camel for every forty camels, or one four- year- old camel for
every fifty camels, or calculate by brackets for fifty and forty,
being very careful not to overlook any, and, if there are any left
over, that the remainder be no more than nine. For example, if
one owns 140 camels, he must give two four- year- old camels, for
the first hundred and one three- year- old camel for the
remaining forty. All camels given in payment of the zakat must
be females.
68
n 23
Addendum
Shaving one's face, whether bladed razors or electric apparatuses
intended for the same purpose, is highly unacceptable.
Beating of drums during athletic contests is not allowed; nor is the
playing of military music during military ceremonies, if such music
can in any way be assimilated to licentious music.
Gambling is forbidden, even if indulged in not for gain but merely as
an amusement.
No Muslim is permitted to work in a J ewish concern, if he knows, or
has the slightest suspicion, that this concern gives support to Israel.
Money thus earned is impure.
It is not strictly forbidden for Muslims to work for a concern
managed by a Muslim which also employs J ews, provided the worker
does not serve Israel in any manner whatsoever. However, it is
shameful to do one's work under the orders of a J ewish foreman.
It is absolutely forbidden to dissect the corpse of a Muslim, but the
dissection of non- Muslim corpses is acceptable.
The flesh of any animal slaughtered by the methods in various
countries, where recently available machines are employed, is
impure, and it is forbidden to either sell or to buy it. In such a
transaction, the seller owes the buyer the money he paid for it, even
if the animal was slaughtered while facing in the direction of Mecca,
and even if the name of Allah was invoked at the time.
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The Little Green Book — Ayatollah Khomeini
Any meat imported from the countries of the infidels is strictly
impure, and considered the same as the flesh of a corpse, unless it is
proven that the cattle was slaughtered according to Muslim ritual.
It is forbidden to look upon a woman other than one's wife, or an
animal, or a statue, in a sensual or lubricious manner.
A woman who wishes to pursue her studies toward the end of being
able to earn her living though respectable work, and who has a male
teacher, may do so if she keeps her face covered and has no contact
with men; but if that is inevitable, and religious and moral tenets are
thus undermined, she must give up her studies.
Girls and boys who attend coeducational classes in grammar schools,
high schools, universities, or other teaching establishments, and
who, in order to legalize such a situation, wish to contract a
temporary marriage may do so without the permission of their
fathers. The same applies if the boy and girl are in love but hesitate
to ask for such permission.
70
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